From A-ha to ZZ-Top: This blog lists all (or at least most) of the live gigs and events I have been to from 1983 til now!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

1996 - KISS

11.12.1996 Festhalle Frankfurt: KISS Support: Die Ärzte

A huge banner on one of the balconies states: „KISS and die Ärzte - a dream comes true“ and in all these years I have never seen the Festhalle that packed. Yes, a dream came true – this KISS concert was the best concert ever.

Another banner simply said: ”KISS – welcome back”. 7 p.m. on the dot – the five hour spectacle kicked off with a band so horrible that I cant even remember their name. I didn’t like even one song and their 30minutes set was half an hour too long for what I care.

Only a few minutes later the mood changed completely as Frankfurt welcomed Berlins punk band number one: Die Ärzte! The guys picked up speed straight away and for the next hour they played a lot of music and laughed about themselves and KISS. Their bold and funny lyrics really made their gig enjoyable.

No doubt that die Ärzte are the number one band in Germany and songs like “Fette Elke”, “Mitten in die Fresse rein”, “Drei Tage Bart” or “Arschloch” were hugely anticipated.

9.30 p.m. – the lights went out and the number one cult band of all time KISS entered the stage: “You’ve wanted the best, you’ve got the best – the hardest band in the world: KISS”. Over the next two hours the reunited band showed all their strength and no weaknesses.

The show was enormous in every aspect: different light settings to every song, the drumkit rose above the stage straight up until it nearly hit the roof, Gene Simmons spit fire and coughed theatrical blood and he flew off like a bird on invisible wires. Ace Frehleys guitar was burning and Paul Stanley still is the rocket man he always was. Peter Criss found himself surrounded by thousands of candle lights while singing the classic hit: “Beth”. Constant Pyrotechnics above our heads – everybody knew that KISS didn’t joke when they announced this to be the biggest show on earth.

The band didn’t bother playing songs from the last 13 unmasked years and only played songs from the time before the split.

The audience sang along to each and every song and when 13 000 people sang: “I was made for loving you” everybody felt what it means to witness the biggest rock band on the planet: KISS